Timber iQ December 2018 - January 2019 // Issue: 41 | Page 52

WOOD WISE
Zim sawmiller sows
seeds of success
Richard Saziya's successful sawmilling businesses in Zimbabwe
rely on Wood-Mizer sawmills to trade profitably, rebuild commu-
nities, restore roads, preserve forests and inspire better lives.
By Wood-Mizer | Photos by Wood-Mizer
One of Richard Saziya’s teams cutting on site in Zimbabwe.
W
hen Zimbabwean Richard Saziya started his
sawmilling business in 2001, he did not imagine
where this road would lead him. His introduction
to Wood-Mizer happened when his employer Cembee
Furniture asked him to find sawmilling equipment that
could cut sawn timber for the factory to save money and
that wasted less timber than circular swing-blade
type sawmills.
He found a used Wood-Mizer sawmill in Zimbabwe’s
Eastern Highlands and when Cembee bought it, the
Wood-Mizer reliably produced accurately sawn timber with
very low wastage for the factory. Saziya’s success with the
Cembee sawmill project was enough reason for him leave
the company and think about his own sawmilling business.
PANPRI AND TSANGA TIMBERS
He bought a used Wood-Mizer LT40 portable petrol sawmill
that could move around to where the trees were. This
advantage made the money flow in and Saziya could start
PanPri Timbers in 2001.
50 DECEMBER 2018 / JANUARY 2019 //
He added three more Wood-Mizer LT15 petrol sawmills to
the LT40 to produce more sawn timber and grow sales. A
contract with Zimbabwe’s Forest Commission also allowed
PanPri to cut trees that were not native to the protected areas.
With the growth in timber sales, a new timber depot in
Harare, and more timber supply contracts in Bulawayo as
well as Gweru and Maronberg adding more profits, Sayiza
now wanted to grow his business further. He knew he could
use the good quality B-grade timber that was left over from
the A-grade logs at Panpri better – this was the answer for
more growth.
He started Tsanga Timbers in 2010 to use B-grade offcuts
and logs to produce pallets, skirting and ceiling boards as
well as doors for the local building and construction
market. Nyanga-based Tsanga Timbers recently also opened
a new depot in Harare to develop the fast-growing business
group’s profits further. The company also runs a network of
qualified carpenters in Mutare, Masvingo, Bulawayo and
Harare to assist with fitment of products bought
through them.
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